In the excerpt below, Sungolowsky analyzes the plot, characters, and meaning of The Marriage of Figaro, arguing that the work is both complex and unified.

The overwhelming success which greeted the Mariage de Figaro when it was finally presented on the French stage should be viewed as an accurate appraisal of Beaumarchais's dramatic genius. One of the longest plays of the French theater, it is also one of the most complex. In composing it, Beaumarchais not only devised a complicated intrigue but he exposed the mores of his times, designed types, introduced emotional episodes, and raised social and political issues. All these elements are combined to create an eventful action which takes place in a single “mad day,” which is the subtitle of the play. In dealing with such a diversity of genres, Beaumarchais could not avoid...